‘Law & Order: SVU’ and ‘Family Guy’ Alum Dies: Andrea Fay Friedman Was 53

Life Goes On actor Andrea Fay Friedman has died at 53 years old. Her father, entertainment lawyer Hal Friedman, told The New York Times she died at her home in Santa Monica on Dec. 3 due to complications of Alzheimer’s disease. Life Goes On premiered on ABC in 1989 and centered on the Thatcher family, who live in suburban Chicago. Friedman, who had Down syndrome, joined the series in 1992 as Amanda Swanson, a college student with Down syndrome. She dated and then eloped with Chris Burke’s Corky Thatcher, who had Down syndrome as well.

Born on June 1, 1970 in Santa Monica, Friedman went to Santa Monica College for two years, where she studied acting and philosophy. According to her father, Friedman’s breakthrough on Life Goes On came while she was working at a child-care center while in college. A parent at the center actually wrote the music for the series and suggested she pitch her own ideas for the series to the writers. While she was only set to be in just one episode, “she did such a great job that they made her a regular on the show.”

Following Life Goes On, Friedman went on to appear in a number of popular shows such as Baywatch, Chicago Hope, Walker, Texas Ranger, 7th Heaven, Law & Order: SVU, ER, and Saving Grace. Her final television role was a voiceover for a Season 8 episode of Family Guy, where she voiced a character with Down syndrome who dates Chris. Her final role was the 2019 holiday drama Carol of the Bells, which centers on a man searching for his biological mother, who learns she is developmentally disabled.

Along with acting, Andrea Fay Friedman also worked through the Pathway program at UCLA Extension, working with neurodiverse students. Her groundbreaking roles opened up the opportunity for more diverse actors and storylines on film and TV. Her legacy will surely continue. Via the CDC, National Down Syndrome Society reports that “about 30 percent of people with Down syndrome who are in their 50s have Alzheimer’s disease.” As of now, a cure has yet to be discovered.

Even though Life Goes On is not streaming anywhere, fans who want to watch some of Friedman’s work and legacy will be able to watch a whole lot of other shows she was on and see the impact she made on Hollywood. She is survived by her father and her younger sister, Katherine Holland.